Group effort in Iona leads to farmers market being approved
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IONA — A farmers market is scheduled to open next week in Iona, all because of a group effort that brought it to the City Council.
The Iona Farmers Market is scheduled to begin on July 20 at Iona Square. It will be every Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. and run until October.
Jerry Coon lives in Iona and told EastIdahoNews.com that many people in the community came up with the idea of having a farmers market there.
“Iona has grown quite a bit in the last five or six years. We used to be a really close-knit community,” Coon said. “We just want to build a stronger sense of community. We thought this would be a good way to do that.”
In June, Coon, along with others, went to the council about the farmers market idea. He said it had been a group effort to put it together.
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According to Keri West, the city clerk and treasurer in Iona, all four City Council members and mayor approved the farmers market. The approval is contingent upon the farmers market group working with the city attorney and mayor to approve a lease agreement for the space, West added.
Coon said he is looking forward to the farmers market. About 15 vendors are signed up so far. He hopes there will be at least 25.
“We are still looking for other vendors to add some diversity. We are looking for artisans, artists … people that make things. Food producers, food vendors, baked goods, things like that,” Coon said.
Some of the vendors that are already signed up and a part of the Iona Farmers Market include Aspen Kreek Akaushi, Creamy Daze, and Chuche’s. If you are interested, Coon said to email ionafarmersmarket@gmail.com or sign up here. He said organizers are primarily looking for people within a 15-mile radius of Iona that want to be vendors.
“Iona Farmers Market mission is to build a closer sense of community and to provide an opportunity for local farmers, food producers, makers and artisans to market their products directly to consumers in a clean, friendly, and community-oriented environment,” he said. “We aim to build friendships and give back to our community.”
Note: EastIdahoNews.com has also published recent stories on the farmers markets in Idaho Falls, Ammon, Pocatello and Rexburg.